While composite panels are typically made out of wood fibre, they can be made out of other materials such as straw. Composite panels made out of wood fibre are known by a variety of names, including: oriented strandboard, wafer board, and chip board. In the past, structural reinforcement of these composite panels has been achieved by selection of the shape of the panel. For example, some success has been obtained through the use of a sinusoidal form, commonly known as "wave board". U.S. Pat. No. 3,083,128 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,904,517 disclose structural reinforcement through a plurality of external reinforcing ribs.
Unfortunately, the same features of shape or configuration that provide composite panels with their structural reinforcement, have inherent disadvantages that have retarded their commercial acceptance. The panels are difficult to manufacture, as special press platens are required to create the special shapes. The special press platens are difficult to adapt to high speed, high volume production runs. Consequently, the composite panels have tended to be expensive. In use, the special shapes make the composite panels difficult to consistently cut to a desired size and, generally, make them more difficult to work with.